AI Heading Structure Checker for News & Media — Optimise for AI Citations
built for rapid indexation and Google News optimization.
How to use this tool
- 1Paste your content
Copy your blog post, landing page, or article - including all headings and body text. Supports both Markdown (##) and HTML (<h2>) formats.
- 2Review structure and issues
The tool extracts your heading hierarchy, checks for level jumps, missing H1s, vague headings, and any structure that reduces AI citation readiness.
- 3Fix and rescore
Make edits based on the recommendations and paste updated content to rescore. Aim for 85+ for maximum AI citation eligibility.
How this tool helps for News & Media sites
A clear heading hierarchy helps both users and search engines navigate for news & media content. This checker analyses your H1 through H6 structure, detects skipped levels and duplicate headings, and ensures your for news & media pages follow the logical outline that Google rewards with better rankings.
News websites operate under unique SEO conditions where speed of indexation, Google News inclusion, and topical freshness signals are paramount. News SEO requires rapid publication workflows, proper NewsArticle schema implementation, and adherence to Google News technical policies. Sites must also manage evergreen content alongside breaking news while avoiding cannibalisation across articles covering evolving stories.
for News & Media SEO tips
- Implement NewsArticle schema with datePublished, dateModified, and author details on every article to qualify for Google News and Top Stories carousel.
- Submit your site to Google News Publisher Center and maintain a clean publication record since news-specific indexation is dramatically faster than standard crawling.
- Create evergreen topic hub pages that aggregate coverage of recurring stories to prevent cannibalisation across dozens of related breaking news articles.
Why heading structure drives AI citations
How AI systems use headings
When AI systems extract passages to cite, they use headings as "section labels" to understand what each block of content is about. An H2 reading "How to fix Core Web Vitals" tells an AI system that the following content answers that specific question - making it far more likely to be cited when someone asks that question.
The correct heading hierarchy
Every page should have exactly one H1 (the page topic), multiple H2s (major sections), and optional H3s nested under H2s. Skipping from H1 to H3 is a structural error - not just a best practice violation. Google explicitly documents heading hierarchy as a semantic signal for content understanding.
Why question-style headings win
Google's PAA algorithm and AI systems are fundamentally question-answering machines. When an H2 heading matches the format of a search query or People Also Ask question, the section below it becomes a direct answer candidate. Frame at least 30-40% of your H2s as questions about the topic.
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